THE WHY OF MAKING ARTMaking art provides a means to spiritual regeneration. It encourages me to work and live in tune with the energies of life, whether inspiration is external or internal. With each medium I select a process involving gradual change. This allows for chance to be fundamental to the finished visual image, such as the layering of watercolor washes into light and shapes, the individual pictographs within the overall grid format, or the gradations of color interacting with figurative elements in the gouache paintings. It is important to remain open and accepting as each painting evolves. This provides an opportunity to learn something about myself, my work, and perhaps nature in general. Sometimes the imagery is very complex and dissonant, and sometimes a painting resonates with clarity and simplicity. The idea is not to settle on evoking one state or another, but to say yes to the fluctuating energies that exist within and around us.
I think of myself as a working artist and integrate my daily life with the discipline of painting and drawing. Regular work habits help to keep me open to receive and explore ideas. I believe that making art can be a way to manifest aspects of nature that are often beyond the merely perceptual or decorative. My paintings are not literal compositions of landscapes with trees and sky, although throughout there are schematic signs that point to these themes. I like to think of my work as reflecting nature, a part of the process of nature in its various forms. As the art historian Anada Coomaraswamy writes: “Like nature, not in appearance, but in its manner of operation.” As a painting develops, the careful process I follow allows for a welcome detachment that also gives me a sense of freedom to observe the piece as it slowly takes shape. My intention is to make a personal vision that communicates universally. I hope to produce visual images that resonate and have presence. |